The 5 youngest men to lift a Masters 1000 title – ft Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz

Oli Dickson Jefford 07 Oct 2024 5:07 PM

Pictured: Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are among the youngest Masters 1000 champions.

Masters 1000 tournaments are among the toughest titles to win in tennis, but a few players have been able to crack the code and thrive at these events earlier than most.

Here, we look at the five youngest men to lift a Masters 1000 title since the format was revamped in 1990.

5) Andrei Medvedev, 1994 Monte Carlo Masters – 19 years, 236 days

Former world No 4 Medvedev was just 19 years old when he won the first of his four Masters 1000 titles at the Monte Carlo Masters in 1994.

Having finished runner-up at the Paris Masters in 1993, the Ukrainian was seeded sixth in the draw in Monte Carlo and rallied from a set down to beat former world No 1 Jim Courier in the last eight.

Medvedev then eased past Yevgeny Kafelnikov to reach the final, where he was up against Sergi Bruguera – the reigning French Open champion at the time.

However, he made light work of the fifth seed, prevailing 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 to lift one of the biggest titles of his career four months before turning 20.

4) Holger Rune, 2022 Paris Masters – 19 years, 191 days

Rune stunned the tennis world with his run to the title at the Paris Masters two years ago, capturing what remains his only Masters 1000 title to date.

The Dane had made huge progress throughout the 2022 season though was unseeded in Bercy, and defeated the likes of 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz and seventh seed Andrey Rublev to reach the last eight.

The 19-year-old was leading by a set when top seed Carlos Alcaraz retired injured in their quarter-final and then beat eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to book a clash against Novak Djokovic.

Rune made history by becoming the first player to ever beat Djokovic from a set down in a Masters final, defeating the Serbian 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to capture the title on his event debut.

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3) Carlos Alcaraz, 2022 Miami Open – 18 years, 333 days

Just months before Rune’s triumph, Alcaraz had cemented his place as one to watch by capturing the Miami Open title as an 18-year-old.

The Spaniard was already forging a fearsome reputation and approached Miami as the 14th seed after a stellar rise over the previous 12 months.

Alcaraz shocked third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to the last eight, and in his semi-final beat eighth seed and defending champion Hurkacz in two tiebreaks to reach his first Masters 1000 final.

He again defied his ranking to beat sixth seed Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 to lift the title, rising into the top 10 for the first time in the aftermath of his victory.

2) Rafael Nadal, 2005 Monte Carlo Masters – 18 years, 318 days

Nadal’s journey to becoming a true great of tennis and the ‘King of Clay’ began in 2005 and was kickstarted by his run to the Monte Carlo Masters title that season.

Aged only 18, the Spaniard breezed through his opening three rounds and sent out a strong statement of intent by thrashing fourth seed and 2004 French Open win Gaston Gaudio in the last eight.

He then battled from a set down against qualifier Richard Gasquet to reach just his second Masters 1000 final, where he faced sixth seed Guillermo Coria.

Nadal dominated the opening two sets and overcame a major wobble to prevail 6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 and lift the first of 11 Monte Carlo titles, and 36 Masters 1000 titles overall.

1) Michael Chang, 1990 Canadian Open – 18 years, 157 days

Chang is the youngest male Grand Slam singles champion of all time, and his triumph at the 1990 Canadian Open also makes him the youngest Masters 1000 champion.

Over a year on from his memorable Roland Garros victory, an 18-year-old Chang entered Toronto as the seventh seed and did not drop a set in his first two matches.

The former world No 2 then caused a significant shock by rallying from a set down to beat top seed Andre Agassi in the last eight, before also beating fifth seed Pete Sampras from a set down to reach the final.

Chang again found himself trailing in the final against fourth seed Jay Berger but stormed back to seal a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory and claim the first of seven Masters 1000 titles.